Ace Combat 7 After Action
by MWSeraph
Summary: The Lighthouse War has ended at the cost of many lives and national identities, but the hard work of rebuilding has only begun. Rosa's work is far from over, but she will have her friends and Three Strikes at her side.
1. Two Worlds Meet

**Ace Combat 7 After Action - Ch.1**

**Two Worlds Meet**

**Disclaimer: Ace Combat 7 and its characters are owned by Namco Bandai.**

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**Selatapura Life Hospital, Selatapura, Gunther Region, 0913 Hours, Nov. 4, 2019**

"Alright, clear the way!" 444th Squadron mechanic and de facto leader, Avril Mead was having to weave between busy doctors and patients upon entering the lobby. It was more like shoving people about, given how Selatapura Life Hospital, among many others throughout the area, were overflowing with refugees and military casualties from the ongoing bushfire wars and the final battle around the space elevator.

In tow behind her was her friend; a young male Osean pilot of a certain aircraft whom her friend, Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise wanted to meet in person. He was in his early twenties, not much older than the princess. With his smooth brown hair, fit muscular build, and a leather flight jacket over his uniform, this young man could easily be mistaken for a stereotypical motorbike jockey.

"You'd better be on your best behavior, dumbass," Avril reminded in a friendly tone, "don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the princess with your hot head."

"That's the thing, Scrap Queen," the pilot replied with a slick and sly tone, "I have my ways with ladies." He even flashed a bight smile, "they find it to be attractive, besides my flying."

Avril huffed as she pressed the 'up' button for the elevator. The doors opened, but she and the pilot were interrupted as two Erusean pilots rushed in, carrying one of their own on a field stretcher. One of the Eruseans gruffly glanced back at the two Oseans who looked a little miffed. "Excuse us," he said brusquely, before closing the elevator. The Osean pilot looked to Avril, and just shrugged. "Hope you don't mind stairs," he said, referring to Avril's limped leg in its prosthetic support. The mechanic just growled at having to climb instead. "Bite me."

The pair did go up the stairs towards the top floor, with Avril noticeably putting more effort into her steps, which would have been much more painful without the tension support. The pilot offered a confident smirk, having gone a little ahead of her. "You sure you don't need my guiding touch," the pilot asked in a suave tone.

"Save the moves for the princess, dumbass," Avril shot back in a mix of defiance and playfulness, "besides, I can use the exercise to get out of this cast sooner."

"You're the Scrap Queen," the pilot jested as the two continued on. The room where the Erusean princess was booked into had two rifle-toting Erusean soldiers posted outside.

"Avril Mead," the 444th Squadron mechanic announced herself to the guards. One of them nodded and was about to open the door, but the other stopped him. He then pointed at the Osean pilot, "you didn't tell us that you were bringing a guest."

Avril groaned, "come on. Didn't her Highness tell you guys that we were coming?"

"She came down with a fever," the second guard explained, "she was out for a long while. Until we hear otherwise, only you are approved to visit." At that, the mechanic did a frustrated facepalm.

"Well in case you two can't see," she groaned, "if he's accompanying me, he's fine by me. Her Highness does trust me after all as a friend."

"That maybe so," the second guard retorted, "but we don't even know who the heck this man is." He sneered at the young pilot, "looks like some lowly motorbike greaser out of some Osean boondocks."

"Well," Avril huffed, "if you knew who he really was, you wouldn't be so dismissive, mister."

"Who is he to us?" The second guard was starting to get irritated.

It was then that Avril smirked as she glanced back at the Osean pilot. She was going to have a little fun. "Well, then I guess your princess won't get to meet Mr. 'Three Strikes' here, will she?"

At the mention of ''Three Strikes', both guards stiffened up. The second guard sweat bullets as he processed whether Avril was joking or not about this Osean pilot being the dreaded 'Three Strikes' that terrorized the Erusean military up to and after Farbanti's capture. The second guard looked towards the pilot in disbelief. It was then that the young man gave a sly grin, which unnerved the Erusean.

'Three Strikes' greeted with a sly, "boo." Suddenly, the two Eruseans were not so steadfast in blocking him.

"N-no," the second guard stuttered, "our mistake! Of course, the princess was expecting him!"

"In fact, we were just going to check up on you," the first guard scrambled for the radio. Avril had to restrain herself from laughing at the older guards tripping over themselves at the sight of the much younger pilot. The pilot himself chuckled amusedly as the first guard called the Osean-Erusean security team guarding the hospital regarding the man with Avril. After a few seconds of chatter and confirmation, the first guard then hurriedly asked the pilot, "can you let us see your ID?"

The Osean pilot laughed as he produced his military ID. The first guard scrutinized it, reading the details over the radio. After yet another confirmation, the guard unlocked the door, and nervously gestured to the pilot, "s-she will see you in."

It was then that a teenage girl with dark long hair and a dark blue dress stepped out of the room, wondering what the commotion was about. When she laid eyes on the female mechanic, she smiled slightly. "Ms. Avril," she greeted with a gentle smile.

"Hey, Ionela," Avril greeted as the woman and the girl hugged. They had become fast friends after their fateful encounter at the former UAV factory below the space elevator through their own friendships with Cossette. Avril then smiled at Ionela. "How's her Highness doing?"

The Shilage girl gave a solemn smile. "She's doing better this morning," she said, "but she's still a little weak from her coma." Ionela closed her eyes. "I'm still amazed that she even survived that explosion, with how big of a gash she has on her head." Avril herself could not help but go back to when she and the 444th survivors found Cossette at the base of the elevator, bloodied in her tattered spacesuit.

Ionela then looked past Avril to see the Osean pilot accompanying her. She blinked as her expression showed a mixture of disbelief and apprehension. Avril mentioned that she was bringing 'him' along as per Cossette's request, but seeing 'him' in person was the one thing that Ionela was not mentally steeled for. "Ms. Avril… is that?"

"Yep," Avril affirmed with a tender expression, this time trying to be a bit sensitive, "that's him…"

The Osean pilot could not help but wonder to himself as the girl named Ionela stared at him. Did she know him? A few seconds passed before he realized that an uncomfortable silence had fallen over them. Putting on his best impression, he just gave a cool, yet gentle smile. "Hi there," he greeted.

Ionela heard the pilot, who was apparently the notorious Three Strikes in person for the first time. Her face eventually evened out into a neutral expression. "The princess is in here," she said in a neutral expression. There was a hint of hesitancy in her tone, and Avril already knew why, but chose not to say anything.

"Show me in," the Osean pilot requested. Without a word, Ionela gestured him to follow her in. As he went past through the door, the young man looked back to Avril, expecting her to follow him. However, she did not, remaining outside of the door, but giving him a reassuring smile. "Good luck, Trigger."

Trigger winked with a thumbs up at Avril and followed Ionela inside the room. A curtain obscured much of the room from the front. Ionela went ahead of Trigger, gesturing to him to wait behind the curtain. Going around the curtain, Ionela gave a respectful bow to the figure who was laying in bed. "Your Highness," the Shilage girl respectfully addressed, "the one they call Three Strikes is here."

"Bring him in," that familiar feminine voice chimed in Trigger's ears. The young Osean ace pilot could easily recognize her from the radio broadcasts back at the Zapland base, yet it sounded younger and more melodious in person. When Ionela waved him over, he promptly stepped out of the curtain into the brightly-lit room.

There were gasps from two different voices as Trigger's eyes adjusted to the light level. There were two other girls present in the room. One was sitting next to the bed, with a stuffed bear rested in her arms and on the lap of her dark blue dress, not unlike Ionela's. She had a resemblance to Ionela, albeit with a shorter haircut in a hairband, exposed forehead, and a gentler, softer face. However, it was the blond girl resting in bed that caught the Osean ace's eyes.

Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise was dressed in a white hospital gown, almost resembling most of the dresses that Trigger had seen from news articles and live broadcasts of her. Her blonde hair was long and loose, instead of being in a braided crown, as there was a large wrap around her forehead bandaging a gash she had suffered. True enough, her normally pristine face and arms showed numerous scars and bruises from a near miss by the two advanced UAVs that Trigger later shot down. Yet, these injuries did very little to dampen the glow from the sun shining on the princess' hair and creamy white skin. If anything, Trigger swallowed as he lost his breath momentarily. _'She's beautiful…_ he marveled to himself.

Cossette meanwhile could only stare in awe and surprise at the young Osean man who was supposed to be the pilot of the fighter with the three scratches that her people so feared, then came to respect. He had smooth and rounded rich brown hair, bright yellow eyes, and a fit build with well-rounded muscles on his limbs. Her initial conception of Trigger was a bulked up middle-aged man, with possibly a few scars and a gruff appearance. However, seeing him for the first time in person, his smooth face, fiery sharp eyes, and stereotypical Osean 'greaser' appearance accompanied by his flight jacket, Rosa estimated that he could not be older than his mid-twenties. She had seen many boys from her days in school and suitors from around the kingdom and abroad, but here was a specimen of top masculine form, straight out of an action movie.

"Mr. Three Strikes," the smaller girl asked. If Trigger remembered right from Avril, her name was Alma, and both she and Ionela were sisters. She hugged her bear tight, not knowing what to make of the man who fought her grandfather, Mihaly A. Shilage. It wasn't too long ago either that Soymeur, one of the surviving Sol Squadron members, told her and Ionela how Trigger had soundly defeated Mihaly over their homeland, permanently retiring him from the skies.

Trigger nodded, with a calm and reassuring smile to the little girl. "That's me, kiddo," he said in a cheery tone. Cossette was surprised again, hearing Trigger's smooth voice. He sounded a lot more like a college sports leader than a feared war veteran. Ionela, on the other hand, was a bit unnerved by his presence and casual behavior.

"Alma," Ionela signaled to her sister. Alma listened and walked over to her elder sibling, still staring at the Osean pilot. The brown-haired young man watched as Ionela took Alma's hand in her own, slightly moving her little sister behind her. It was as though Ionela was protecting Alma from Trigger.

The princess felt the room atmosphere take an uncomfortable dive, seeing her best friends stare at Trigger in distrust. Feeling the need to diffuse it, she spoke up, "Ionela, Alma… you two can go for now. I can speak with Three Strikes alone."

"Rosa…" Ionela muttered in a warning tone. She had reservations leaving Rosa alone in the room with such a man.

Trigger could not help but feel miffed by the reception that the two girls in the blue dresses were giving him. While Alma seemed more confused than anything, Ionela's body language spoke volumes about how she really felt having him here. "Hey," he dared to speak, "I'm not going to hurt any of you. The princess did ask for me after all." Trigger then turned to Cossette and gave a light bow. "It is nice to meet you, Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise."

Rosa smiled in acceptance. This Trigger that her friend, Avril talked so much about seemed to be quite a gentleman. "We meet at last, Trigger," she greeted, "I've heard so much about you."

"Likewise," Trigger replied as he sat in a chair beside the bed. The Shilage sisters, seeing that nothing was going to happen to Rosa, reluctantly stepped out of the room. The guards closed the door behind them. It was then that the atmosphere took on a serene, yet suspenseful tone. Neither Trigger nor Rosa spoke for a few seconds.

It was then that Rosa looked at Trigger. It was surreal, being this close to the Osean pilot who had caused much destruction for her country's air force, and still controversial for being yet the one man who brought Osea, Usea, and Erusea together in ending the war. Yet, Trigger seemed to be the kind of guy that most girls her age would go crazy over at a college sports game. If anything, he was much younger than the other pilots she had met. "You're not quite what I expected…"

Trigger was caught off guard. "How so," he asked with a bit of an incredulous tone; he was not sure whether it was insult or flattery.

Rosa just blinked her eyes. "I expected… someone much older," she admitted, "even a bit gruffer looking… but…" She hesitated as her cheeks turned slightly pink. "You're very young."

Now it was Trigger's turn to be amused. He gave a lighthearted chuckle. "I get that a lot," he laughed, remembering how his former flight leader, Clown used to joke about his age. The jokes even carried on into Spare Squadron where a lot of the guys, especially Count and Champ, used to give him a hard time until he proved himself the ace pilot of the penal unit. It also was not that much better with Strider Squadron, until they saw how he nearly single-handedly destroyed the Njord Fleet at Snider's Top.

"Avril told me a lot about you," Rosa said with a smile, "she said that you're quite hot-blooded, yet unafraid and highly protective of your wingmen. I suppose that was how you were so daring in taking on our Colonel Mihaly Shilage over Yinshi Valley in a lightning storm."

"You mean Mister X," Trigger remarked, using the nickname the IUN had for the Erusean ace. It was then that his breath hitched. "Wait a minute. How did you-"

Rosa could not help but giggle at Trigger's reaction. "'Mister X' couldn't stop talking about you," she explained, "after that fight, he was worn out, yet smiling like a child who got the best birthday gift ever. Even as you continued to give our air force trouble, Colonel Shilage wanted to see you again in combat more than anything else in the world."

"Colonel Mihaly Shilage..." Trigger pondered over Mister X's actual name. 'Why does it sound-' his train of thought halted with an epiphany. "Princess D'Elise, he wouldn't happen to be related to the Autonomous State of Shilage now, would he?"

The princess blinked. "Why yes," she confirmed, "as a matter of fact, he's the Duke of Shilage."

Now it fell into place. When Trigger and Strider Squadron invaded the southeastern Erusean state and captured its castle, they encountered Mister X and Sol Squadron fighting vigorously to drive them away. Trigger's duel then with the old ace was his toughest one, as he not only had an experimental X-02 Wyvern, but fought with the determination of a warrior king defending his true homeland. This revelation caused this hollowness in his gut to return, but with greater sensation; despite his rivalry and enmity towards Shilage for his killing Brownie, Wiseman, and many other wingmen, Trigger couldn't shake the uneasiness that he and the LRSSG were bordering on war crimes for attacking a declared neutral state sheltering civilian refugees and stealing supplies just to survive. Unfortunately for him, Rosa noticed the silent pain expression in his face.

"Trigger?" Rosa was now concerned.

"We raided his homeland..." Trigger admitted, "we went in guns blazing and blew half their garrison to smithereens... and we stole supplies from Shilage Castle... just so we could survive and keep fighting... Mister X was there, ready to fight me..." The princess listened in on the story, wanting to hear Trigger's side of the Shilage air raid. "There was just a vicious dogfight, your Highness," Trigger continued, "we tried to get him and his squadron to surrender peacefully, but they just kept fighting. I had no choice... I just fired and fired 'til I just blew him away... I think he's dead now..."

Trigger rubbed his forehead in his hands. "Man, now I really feel like a criminal... some hero I am..."

Rosa was a little off guard, seeing Trigger express remorse this openly. It sounded a lot like how Soymeur described it to both her and Mihaly's granddaughters, except for one thing. "Actually, Colonel Shilage is still alive," she corrected.

Trigger perked up with a confused expression. "What?"

Rosa looked out her window towards the skies. "One of Sol Squadron's survivors, Soymeur told me what happened. He said that they found the colonel dangling from his parachute snagged on a tree. He couldn't feel his legs, but they found him alive." She then lowered her head, "he's supposed to be recovering, but now he can't fly anymore..." At that, Trigger had nothing to say. He was still sorting through his feelings after that particular battle, especially since the Sol Squadron aided him in ending the war.

"The three scratches," Rosa mentioned, "when Mihaly first mentioned you, he said that while your wingmen were marked with one or two white lines on their tails, you specifically stood out with your three lines, not to mention your skills. What did those lines mean, and why did you have three?"

The Osean pilot sighed. The three scratches on his aircraft were now considered a symbol of hope by many of his fellow pilots, but the adulation and accolades did not make the memory of their true origins any less tragic or disturbing. He looked back at Rosa with a smile, with a strong hint of sadness and shame. Trigger posed the question, "do you remember Vincent Harling's death this summer?"

The Erusean princess was taken aback, but that shocking June 6th was hard to forget. The media firestorm surrounding Harling's failed rescue rocked the entire world, and even Erusea to the core. The allegations that he was killed by a fellow countryman added more fuel to the fire, where many Eruseans including herself believed that Harling wanted to end the war by shutting down the space elevator, and was killed by Osea for it. "I remember like it was yesterday," Rosa answered.

Trigger scratched his head, trying to calm himself as he answered, "I was the one accused of assassinating Mr. Harling, as I was the closest pilot when it happened..."

This caused the princess to go completely silent; she was talking to the supposed killer of Vincent Harling himself. "What?"

"Drones were swarming all over his plane when I was trying to fend them off," Trigger continued with tension in his voice, "next thing you know, a missile comes from behind me and blows the man to high heaven. Ugh." Trigger was clearly showing some signs of distress. "The reason why I had those lines was because I was sent to a penal unit... the 444th Spare Squadron that Avril and I were a part of. They were sin lines denoting the severity of each pilot's crime, and my supposed one was ranked the most severe..."

"My goodness," Rosa was completely floored. This young pilot looked too handsome, and too kind and brave to be a murderer. Then again... she never saw her peers in the Erusean military to be murderous warmongers until they attempted to kill her. However, she was still pressed for details. "What then," she asked, "how did you get out?"

Trigger calmed himself with a deep sigh, pursing his lips. He then said, "my superiors eventually got information from a dissident inside the Erusean Army that proved that I was not responsible for killing Harling. As it later turned out, it was General Labarthe who was feeding us information on the political in-fighting between your Conservative and Radical factions. When Strider Squadron and I were escorting him, he left behind a recording, saying that the Radicals were using Belkan technology that allowed the drones to fake our Osean IFFs."

That last bit of information was yet another shocker for Rosa. She learned of Belka's involvement from a repentant Dr. Schroeder, but this was complete news to her. "That means..." she had an epiphany.

Trigger nodded, and filled it in, "the Radicals had a drone disguised as an Osean fighter shoot down Harling's plane. I just had the misfortune of being the closest pilot flying the same F-18 Super Hornet as the drone."

Rosa looked down in shame. In her naïve belief of clean warfare with drones, she and her father had allowed for Radicals to infiltrate and control the program in its entirety. She and the civilian government had no real control, except to rubber stamp whatever developments rose out of the program. The Erusean monarchy and the public had been duped hook line and sinker, by the Radicals and their Belkan allies.

"Trigger," Rosa replied with sadness, "I... I want to offer an apology on behalf of my kingdom for what happened. If had known what they were really going to use the drones for... I would have urged my father to put a stop to it." She paused for a bit, getting a grip on herself and her thoughts. "I am also sorry for allowing myself to be deceived and helping the Radicals start this war," she continued, "because of that and my own naivety... I ended up causing great suffering for all of Usea and your country... You have especially have been done so many terrible wrongs..." She tried to keep it in, but the tears came out as she clutched her bedsheets.

Trigger offered her a sad, but understanding smile. "Hey," he softly cheered, "it wasn't your fault that the Radicals controlled enough of Erusea's media and intelligence to feed you and your people false information. They and their Belkan allies simply saw you as a means of revenge against ISAF and Osea, but you defied them and helped us to thwart their plan. I mean... its not every day that a girl gets to say they kicked butt against radicals trying to steal her throne." He said the last part with a tone of admiration.

"Really," Rosa asked, with her face still wet and red.

"Avril told me what you did to help us out with the final stretch," Trigger revealed, still smiling, "you had guts of steel smashing up the Arsenal Bird's shield transmitter, and using our carrier's spotting posts to warn us about that last UAV, even when injured. Heh! You are one feisty royal, your Highness!" The Erusean princess, not being used to such direct praise, blushed a light rose.

"In many ways," Trigger added, "I have you to thank for the unexpected, yet wonderful crazy things that have happened. We started out as enemies, now here we are chatting like friends."

"Friends..." Rosa muttered.

"Of course," the brown-haired pilot beamed, "I mean, we were just pouring our hearts out to each other and..." he laughed as he rubbed his head, "kinda making up..."

Trigger leaned over to the princess' side. "I may be rough and tough on the edges, but I hope you don't mind me being around." His expression took on a bright grin, "besides, you look like you could use some help yourself."

The princess still was amazed at how forward, yet friendly 'Three Strikes' was. He was far from the monster that many Eruseans imagined him to be. His false conviction and forced service with a penal unit did not seem to completely extinguish his rather optimistic attitude.

"That's... very nice of you," the princess accepted.

"It would be my pleasure, your Highness," Trigger said cheerily.

"Please," Rosa added with a smile, "call me Rosa. I much prefer names over titles to be honest." She then slightly gasped, "oh, you didn't tell me your name yet."

The Osean just shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, most of my friends just call me Trigger or Three Strikes."

"No," Rosa pressed, "I did mean your real name... if you don't mind."

"Well..." Trigger followed up. He said in a cool tone, "Ronald... Captain Ronald Reagan."

'Ronald... ordinary, yet interesting,' Rosa thought to herself. "Nice to meet you, Ronald."

"Same here," said Trigger, aka Ronald, "and thanks for helping kill the drones." Those words brought yet another smile to Rosa's face.

**_END_**

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This is my first Ace Combat 7 fanfic, and I got to say that I loved the story and characters enough to start my own sequel.

Special thanks to WillySmith1510 for inspiring and supporting me! Feel free to fave and review; it all encourages us AC fans to keep going! :D

Take care, and God Bless! ;)

Update: I had a background check inserted for Trigger after one of the reviewers pointed out that Rosa's security would necessitate one. Thanks! XD


	2. Saved

**Ace Combat 7 After Action - Ch.2**

**Saved**

**Disclaimer: Ace Combat 7 and its characters are owned by Namco Bandai.**

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**Selatapura Life Hospital, Selatapura, Gunther Region, 1100 hours, Nov. 6, 2019**

It had been two days since Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise had come face to face with the Three Strikes of Osea, Captain Ronald 'Trigger' Reagan. Over just that span of time, the two came to be friends very quickly, with Rosa being interested in Ronald's adventures (and misadventures), and Ronald himself wanting to hear of her side of the war. It was a remarkably jovial and friendly time, with the Osean ace of aces and the Erusean princess looking like boy and girl meeting in college, earning them both the teasing approval of the Scrap Queen. They laughed and smiled when they shared the better moments of the war, and even cried together with the tragedies each of them endured.

Ronald was taken in with how Rosa went from naively idealizing Erusea's crusade to 'liberate' Usea from Osea's influence, to becoming a rebel against the very far left Radicals controlling the government and military. During both of her roles in the war, Ronald admired how she could use her beauty and kindness to bring out the best, and even the most aggressive motivations in people. She was meek and pretty, but fully capable of moving entire nations with her words.

Rosa, while hearing from her intelligence agencies and Colonel Shilage about Three Strikes, was nonetheless amazed at the Osean ace's evolution from regular pilot, to convict, and then being the pardoned hero of the whole war. She still cried over how her own country's drone program led to Harling's death and Trigger's wrongful conviction, but his tales of his daily survival and heroism inside the 444th Squadron was nothing short of herculean. Even though he had been condemned to fight and die in near-hopeless suicide missions, Trigger seemed to have divine protection and pure skills as a pilot to pull off the dangerous and impossible. Despite how the Erusean drone program nearly derailed his life and career, the Osean remarkably refused to hold her responsible for his plight, even as she apologized numerous times to him. His friendliness and joy were contagious, even for Rosa.

Today was the day that Rosa was being released from the hospital. For someone who had barely survived a midair collision, she had healed up surprisingly well. She was now in the lobby, with her friends Avril, Ionela, and Alma, waiting on Ronald and the rest of his team. Two of her loyalist soldiers were standing around in the lobby, keeping an eye on their royal charge.

Rosa breathed a sigh of openess and relief. "I finally get to leave and walk about," she expressed, "I appreciate the doctors and everyone, but I really need to get out of here."

Ionela smiled for the princess. Despite everything that had happened between them with the war and her grandfather, she still cared for Rosa as her closest friend. "God has been most merciful towards you, Rosa," she said, "it's no small miracle surviving that kind of fall." Rosa then looked at the younger girl. She had a solemn smile on her face.

"I don't want to sound inconsiderate," Rosa replied, "but I'm also relieved that your grandfather is still alive." She closed her eyes as she reflected on the news of his defeat from Sol Squadron. "I do regret that he was crippled in his final battle with Captain Reagan, however," she sighed.

Ionela turned her gaze downward, pursing her lips. Meeting Trigger for the first time, he hardly looked at all the kind of man that her grandfather was. While her grandfather was quiet, contemplative, and refined, Ronald Reagan was nearly his opposite. True to his callsign, he was a fast and straight shooter, with a loud and cheery personality, mixed with humor and sarcasm. He smiled and laughed freely, even as many Eruseans in the hospital looked on with disapproval with his obvious attempts to flirt and socialize with their princess. If anyone tried to give him a hard time, Ronald simply brushed them off with his suave voice and cocky grin. If it weren't for the fact that he was the ace of aces of the war, Ionela would have thought of him as some wild college gorilla in a leather jacket.

"Rosa," Ionela asked, "what do you think of him? Three Strikes?"

The princess put a finger to her chin as she mused over her answer. She muttered, more to herself, "he's rough around the edges... but also cute."

Ionela's eyes widened a little. Did her friend just call the Osean pilot cute? Rosa's breath hitched as well. Realizing what she just said, her face turned a gentle pink as she sheepishly gazed at the floor. Unfortunate for the girl, Avril noticed and smirked.

"Ooohhh..." Avril began with a tease, "did the Princess of Erusea just call her country's former enemy cute? I guess that dumbass really did steal your heart, and in just two days!"

"A-Avril!" Rosa was flustered. Did this woman have to be such a tease!?

"Ms. Mead," Ionela looked indignant, "may you not make such insinuations!? That's improper!"

Avril just laughed, "what? Cossette here admitted it!"

Ionela frowned. "Yes, but still-"

"Sister," Alma pointed outside repeatedly, "there are four people outside on bikes! One of them is huge!"

"Bike?" Rosa was curious now. She rose up and walked gently towards the door. Her joints still felt a little stiff, so she did not want to go too fast. Ionela and Avril accompanied her closely, while Alma skipped on ahead with her stuffed bear. As Rosa approached the doors, she could make out the faint outline of Osean MP, and some of her own Erusean MPs scrutinizing a group of four people riding on some bikes. One of them at the front had a noticebly bigger ride, though.

Alma rushed out the front door, and Rosa heard her say, "hi Mr. Reagan!"

"Hey little Alma," Ronald's voice cheerily rang out. As Rosa stepped outside, she was greeted with the sight of four Osean pilots in flight jackets and riding motorbikes, surrounded by both Osean and Erusean MPs. Three of them were on what appeared to be sleek, silver electric motorbikes, likely rental ones like the other bikes around the city.

However, the front bike was noticeably not electric. It was an Osean Harley-Davidson, with blue and red colors in a flame motif. The metal pipes were chrome-lined, giving it a retro look from the 80s, yet still good looking for the current era. Behind the dual seat cushions were two flags; the Osean flag, as well as yet another flag that Rosa could not quite put her finger on. Most of all, the rider sitting on top of it was none other than the brown-haired Trigger, playfully lifting Alma up and smiling.

Ionela's mind almost went blank at the sight of one of Osea's fiercest pilots acting like a friendly older brother to her sister. Rosa on the other hand, was staring at Ronald in his sunglasses and decorated leather jacket. His unzipped front showed hints of a grey undershirt with the OADF abbreviation and roundel, and his blue jeans and brown boots made for a definitive cool jockey image.

Upon seeing Rosa, Ronald flashed a grin as he set Alma down and dismounted from the bike. "Howdy, princess," he greeted.

"Ronald," Rosa replied with a tone of surprise and interest, "you never told me that you had your bike!" She scanned over the Harley-Davidson. "Especially one this big!"

Ronald laughed in a roguish, but good-natured manner. "Some people joke that where I come from, we're as married to our bikes as we are to women!"

Avril smirked in amusement. "You know," she teased, "I doubt that steed of yours is emissions-compliant in this town."

"Ah," Ronald playfully waved her off, "and downgrade to those scooters? I like the purrs and growls of my Harley-Dave, thank you. You know how an Augustan feels about his personal ride."

"Hey," Avril retorted in a friendly tone, "we're fellow Augustans, remember?"

At that Rosa glanced at her Osean friend with confusion. She wondered, 'Augustan?'

"Hey, Avril," the scrawny-looking blond-haired pilot said, "while the playful banter between you and Trigger is fun and all, but aren't you guys going to introduce us?"

The oriental woman next to him nodded and smiled. "You two Augustans really get carried away, you know that?"

Ronald just laughed as he turned to Rosa. "Well Rosa," he said, "it's about time you met the Strider Team." As he got off the bike, he was joined by the scrawny blond, the oriental woman, and a thirty-something-old man with hints of facial hair despite his shaving. Rosa had to guess that these three were his wingmen.

"Meet my blond and boastful partner in crime as Strider Two," Ronald patted his friend on the back, "First Lieutenant Dennis Coughlin, callsign Count."

Count gave Trigger a shoulder bump, though more in jest than anger. He then gave a quick salute. "Count Coughlin at your service," he greeted the princess.

Rosa blinked her eyes. "Count? There are royal titles in Osea?"

Coughlin just huffed with a slight smile. "I wish... otherwise I wouldn't have been dumped into Spare Squadron with Trigger here." However he then said in a proud tone, "but in the skies, I'm his loyal vassal to the very end!"

"So much so that you scared us half-to-death with your tunnel stunts," the oriental pilot reminded, "and you got shot down for it, you damn fool!"

However, Count just smiled. "Hey, it worked, and I'm alive, am I?" He chuckled a bit, to the female pilot's semi-exasperated huff.

"Oh yeah," Ronald said, "and who can forget the resident femme fatale, Lieutenant Zhou Li, aka Huxian? She's number four on my wing, and where she came from, they say that four is a deadly number... fitting for this angel of war!"

"Save the flattery, you ladies man," Huxian shook her head, though she smiled, "you'll need more than that to seduce me!"

It was then that Count suddenly hugged her. "Besides," he whispered, "you already got me." He flashed a sly smile before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Rosa and Huxian were surprised with the sneak attack, with the latter's cheeks a slight red. "Stop that," Huxian playfully fended off Count's advances.

"And yeah... they apparently are a thing," Ronald finished in a tone of amusement. He then pointed at the older, grizzly pilot in his thirties. "Now this giant here is Logan Jager, callsign Jaeger," Trigger introduced, "don't let his appearance scare you; he's a gentle papa bear. I promise that he doesn't bite... well, at least on the ground!"

Jaeger laughed, "you're a real jester, you know that Trigger?" He then saluted Rosa. "It's an honor to meet you at last, your Highness. I can see that you and Captain Reagan get along well."

Rosa could not help but smile. "He's been nothing but a gentleman towards me and my friends," she reciprocated, "I can see how he commands the respect of many despite his age." Trigger's team seemed to be a nice and friendly one. They reminded her of Sol Squadron, even though the latter squadron was more reserved like its leader, Mihaly.

Ronald then went up to Rosa. It was then that everyone could see that the young Three Strikes easily stood about a good three to six inches over the Erusean princess. Fortunately for him, Rosa was hardly intimidated by his physique.

"Walking already," Ronald remarked happily, "you heal fast, Rosa." Except for a few fading bruises in some areas, Rosa was for the most part pristine, with no signs of broken bones or casts for that matter. She still had a bandage wrapped around her head gash, but that too was coming along, and the head pains had subsided to just a very slight numbing ache.

"I'd like to think it was being surrounded by my friends that lifted my spirits and encouraged the healing," Rosa commented with a calm smile, "not least of all, getting to meet you, Ronald." Ronald chuckled lightly at that. "So..." Rosa followed up in a casual tone, "what's your next move, Three Strikes?"

"Glad you asked!" Ronald flashed one of many bright smiles already. "We're going to the space elevator," he told Rosa, "there are people there wanting to see you after hearing what you pulled off. I can take you there." His smile turned into a smirk as he winked at his teammates. Rosa saw Count and Huxian give her and Trigger naughty-looking glances, while Jaeger looked to be a little concerned. Avril was snickering to herself.

The Shilage sisters both looked at Avril, with Ionela being a little miffed and concerned. "What?"

"Hehe...nothing," Avril managed through her snickers, "just that Trigger's really pulling some serious moves now!"

Rosa looked to the 444 mechanic with a quizzical look. "Avril, he's just going to lead the way for my vehicle," she replied.

Huxian then cleared her throat, getting Rosa's attention. "If I may, your Highness," she said respectfully, "Captain Reagan meant something else."

Count nodded in agreement with a sly smile towards his flight leader and friend. "I'd hold on tight if I were you, Princess," he gave friendly warning, while winking in approval towards Trigger.

"Don't worry, Coughlin," Ronald assured, "you said it yourself: 'stick with Trigger... and you'll make it.'" He then pulled Rosa towards his Harley-Davidson.

* * *

"Whoa!" Rosa shouted as Ronald raced through the streets of Selatapura. She was holding onto his shoulders for dear life, with Strider Team trying to keep up from behind with an Erusean military vehicle following them.

Ionela and Alma were riding inside with Avril and some of the Erusean MPs tagging along with the princess. Ionela was on edge as she watched Three Strikes drive his motorbike like a cowboy with Rosa on it.

"Got to hand it to the dumbass," Avril cheered, "he's daring and crazy!"

"Yahoo!" Trigger yelled as he made a fast and hard turn, making Rosa hug him tight. He grinned to himself at the small accomplishment. "Ronald," Rosa raised her voice over the engine noise, "you're crazy, just like Avril said!"

"Crazy?" Trigger then sped up towards a group of military aid trucks.

"W-wait a minute! Ah! Aahhh!" Rosa screamed over the sound of the trucks honking as her new pilot friend zig-zagged between the trucks, some of their drivers angrily raising their fists and shouting at him. As Ronald drove in front away from the large vehicles, Rosa reminded, "careful! I'm wanting to celebrate my recovery, not join you in the hospital!"

Trigger just laughed, "but it's an exciting first ride, isn't it?"

Rosa looked at him strangely for a few seconds, before giggling then laughing at his antics. Given that she had run towards Erusean Radical tanks with smoke canisters, smashed up sensors on the space elevator, and swan-dived and parachuted towards the earth in the middle of an air battle, riding with this maverick of a pilot was one of the less risky things she had done up to this point.

"Hey, Trigger," Jaeger called as he, Count, and Huxian caught up with him, "with all due respect, please take it easy on the lady! She's royalty, and you don't want to be pissing off her people too much!"

"Duly noted," Ronald gave a roguish smile with that acknowledgement. Soon enough, the four bikes and the trailing vehicle were on the long bridge going towards the space elevator out in the bay. The right side lanes were fully occupied by cars and trucks full of refugees, so the two left side lanes were cordoned off for military and VIP vehicles.

Rosa watched the long line of vehicles of refugees slowly moving along as Trigger and company just whizzed by. Seeing all those people trying to make it over to the elevator, the Erusean princess could not help but feel pity and remorse for them. Now that she was awake and out, there was going to be a lot of work cut out for her in leading whatever remained of Erusea towards peace with Osea and caring for her fellow Eruseans and other Useans being displaced by the civil wars nearby.

Trigger, on the other hand, could not help but admire the view of the bay on his left. Seeing Rosa's glum expression, he gently nudged her. "Hey," he urged, "look out on the left."

Rosa heeded the Osean's advice, and found herself staring out towards the sea. It was late morning, and the sun was at its brightest over Selatapura. The princess was mesmerized by how the water was a deep dark blue, that could yet shine in the sun as a sapphire would. The skies were also a bright blue hue, with a few puffs of clouds here and there. It was then that she realized how much she missed this sight during her more relaxed days back home in Farbanti.

Ronald was still all smiles, hopeful for the princess on his back. "You like?"

Rosa admitted in a murmur. "I never thought I could look to the skies like this again," she said.

"Quite the picture, isn't it," Ronald chatted, "great shades of blue, even from down here." He then nudged her and pointed in front of him. "There she is," he said, "all tall and pristine."

Looking in front of the bike, Rosa could see the International Space Elevator. Once a symbol of peace and cooperation, then a factory of war, the elevator now stood as an oasis of communications and safety in a world blinded by the disaster of September 19, where both Osea and Erusea ended up destroying all the satellites in orbit. This one single structure was at the center of the many tragedies Rosa suffered during the war.

Ronald and Strider Team reached the end of the bridge. As they pulled up towards the elevator, Rosa held onto the Osean ace, still feeling the hollowness in her legs. After all, she had a very close scrape with death, trying to parachute down the tower and getting hit with shrapnel from the UAVs' missiles. Not to mention, with so many Useans gathering around the elevator, she was sure that many blamed and resented her and her people for the loss of their homelands. Ronald had just stopped twenty yards from the makeshift checkpoint that a group of IUN remnant soldiers were manning to process the flow of refugees into the settlement around the elevator.

"I should not be here..." Rosa said as she hid her face behind Ronald. Looking at the space elevator reminded her of Harling's hopes for the nations to rally around Osea's space program to promote peace, and how she came so close to twisting it and destroying it in her naiveity. She could also remember the fear she had of the drones swarming about her during the battle, and the burning pain from being showered by missile shrapnel as she parachuted down. Ironically, yet eerily fitting, this exact tower nearly became her own grave.

Ronald felt Rosa shiver as she went through her own turmoil. She was gripping his shoulders rather tightly while looking away from the tower. He glanced back at her sympathetically, remembering his own tragedy that fateful June 6th when Harling was killed under his watch. The tower still stood today partly because of the shock of Harling putting his own plane in harm's way to try and stop the attacks on the elevator. Unfortunately the for Trigger, everything just fell apart as he was wrongfully court-martialled for Harling's assassination. However, he refused to dwell on that, as he had his chance to redeem himself and move past that.

It was then that Ronald gently grasped one of Rosa's hands with his own. Her shivering stopped as Rosa felt the small, yet warm-blooded gesture from the Osean ace. As their eyes met, Ronald comforted her, "hey, whatever happens, no one is going to hurt you here." He gave a soft wink to her. "Stick with me, and you'll make it." Rosa's cheeks went a light pink, feeling touched by the rather knightly gesture.

Count, Huxian, and Jaeger stood off to the side, watching Trigger have his small moment with the princess. In the armored vehicle, the Shilage sisters were watching closely with Avril, who was grinning in amusement.

"The dumbass sure is a real knight there," Avril snickered, "if only I had a camera for this!"

Ionela glared at Avril. "Ms. Mead," she politely pleaded, "please stop. It's not like he's actually her boyfriend."

Avril frowned a little. "Never said anything about boyfriends," she deadpanned. A few seconds passed before her face lit up. "Ooohhhh!" Now Ionela felt dread as Avril started grinning at her. "I get it, now," Avril teased, "I promise not to tell Cossette that you're jealous of her!"

Little Alma was totally confused, while Ionela was struck with silence at what Avril said. Not to let up on the poor elder sister, Avril gaffawed, "don't worry. No one can blame you for noticing how much of a stud that Trigger is. Ha!"

Ionela could not believe what just happened. Did this woman have no limits? Despite her best efforts, her cheeks went a light pink in embarassment.

* * *

Ronald led Rosa through the makeshift settlement of tents and vehicles. Rosa's guards cleared a path for both her and Trigger, though some of them continued to give the latter distrustful glares for the way he was flirting with her. Fortunately for Ronald, there was Strider Squadron by his side, and numerous Osean MPs throughout the area to deter vengeful Eruseans in the same manner that the Erusean MPs deterred vengeful Useans with a beef against Rosa.

The princess heard a cacophony of various languages, including the English spoken by Oseans and some Useans, her own Erusean dialects, some Belkan, and various others. Some of the refugees regarded her with a mix of curiosity, recognition, respect, and others disdain and suspicion. Trying to get past the stares and gossip, the princess recognized that in forming a provisional government, she was going to have to work fast to help Selatapura process the influx of people from across neighboring countries. As it was, the camp was quite disorganized, with people trying to find spaces for themselves and their loved ones. She could also recognize the wreckage of several aircraft, most of them being the Arsenal Bird's drones and a few regular fighter jets littering patches of the area otherwise dominated by tents, cars, and military vehicles and containers.

"Ronald," she finally asked, "what exactly are you bringing me out here for?"

Ronald glanced back at the princess with a gentle smile. "It's simple," he said, "I just want to show you everything and everyone you helped save."

The Erusean royal blinked. "What... I saved?"

"Why," Trigger gestured around him, "all of them... and the space elevator itself. Thanks to you, the people have a symbol of peace to rally around, not to mention one heck of a communications and high energy hub..." He then looked directly towards the space port, directly around the elevator. "... and that's not all that you've helped save."

As Ronald and Rosa walked together, the former's three wingmen observed their flight leader's interactions with the latter. "Trigger's officially taken with her, I swear," Huxian jested.

"Taken," Count shook his head with a smirk, "more like sweeping her off her feet! He really isn't afraid of anything."

Jaeger seemed to be a bit more circumspect. "Let's settle down guys," he said, "remember that officially, we're still at war with Erusea. It's only a truce, and we haven't even gotten to the peace negotiations yet."

Dennis "Count" Coughlin just grinned teasingly at his flight lead. "I think we have our negotiator here, Jaeger," he confidently remarked.

"Since you said that you collapsed just after seeing me and my Raptor fly out of the windbreak, I'll fill you in a little," Trigger told Rosa, "the space elevator was a launching point for Osea's newest spacecraft seven years ago. It was our replacement for the Arkbird, which was destroyed nine years ago in the previous war."

Ronald looked up the elevator. "I think I understand why Harling wanted to turn back, despite the risk of being captured," he went on, "it was more than the elevator he was trying to save. Someone up there was counting on him too."

"Someone..." Rosa murmured, her eyes widened in realization, "Ronald... you mean-"

"It was Harling that sponsored the first spaceship to launch from the elevator all those years ago," Ronald said as he recalled that day, "and all this time... he was waiting until this day." Rosa looked at him quizzically, as he took her hand and led her towards the main building. Behind them and Strider Team, Avril and the Shilage sisters followed.

"Ms. Avril, what's Mr. Reagan doing," Alma probed rather cutely.

The rough mechanic just smiled. "There's someone he wants the princess to meet," she assured, "someone that the both of them saved together."

Ionela pondered as she gazed at the Osean pilot and his team leading her friend into the main lobby. "What is important about this someone?"

Avril touched the older Shilage sister's shoulder. "The reason Harling gave his life..."

Rosa was led through the doors by her guards and the Strider Squadron. This was the very lobby where she had reunited with Alma upon arriving at the elevator. Just below this very building was the now-defunct UAV factory, which Belkan researcher Dr. Schroeder helped to deactivate. On the adjacent wall, was the very same mural the late former Osean president had commissioned as a reminder of the elevator's purpose. Vibrant young men and women danced in flowing robes and wreaths across the picture, with the sun illuminating numerous elevators like white trees giving life to a new world. The mural had been untouched throughout the final battle for the ISEV, and now stood as a monument to the elevator's purpose, and Harling's dreams.

There was someone there in front of the mural, silently admiring it alone. From what Rosa could see, the person was wearing a blue and white flight suit. The figure was a slim and feminine one, with short, silky dark hair covering the back of the head.

As Ronald smiled in recognition, Dennis came up alongside him, with Li and Logan on their flanks as they would be when flying. Dennis gave his 'partner-in-crime' a buddy bump on the shoulder in encouragement, to which Ronald agreed. Stepping forward towards the lone figure, the captain of the Strider Squadron rendered a military salute. "Captain Nagase."

The person in front of the mural turned around to face the Osean ace. It was then that Rosa could see that it was a female pilot; an Osean astronaut with her country's flag, along with the emblems of what seemed to be the sponsor organizations: the Osean Federal Air and Space Administration (FASA) and ISEV, the company responsible for the elevator. The name tag on the front of her suit read 'K. Nagase'. She had a light skin tone, with a radiant face framed by her smooth black hair and dark eyes.

The female astronaut smiled and saluted the Osean ace. "Captain Reagan," she greeted.

Ronald lowered his arm, then looked back at Rosa. "This," he indicated to her, "is the one person Harling had been waiting for all this time, and who we both saved together... Captain Kei Nagase, the pilot of Pilgrim One."

_**END**_

* * *

Here's a list of the characters from Strider Squadron that I named:

Trigger (Strider 1) - Cpt. Ronald Reagan  
Count (Strider 2) - 1st Lt. Dennis Coughlin  
Jaeger (Strider 3) - Cpt. Logan Jager  
Huxian (Strider 4) - 1st Lt. Zhou Li

* * *

Sooo sorry for the delay, but life and other stories got in the way of writing the AC7 epilogue, not to mention reading other AC7 fanfics for inspiration and fun. XD

So Trigger gets to show off his bike to the princess, and introduce her to the Osean astronaut they saved together. I like to think that Trigger and Rosa ended up helping each other in more ways than one, making for an unusual, but amazing team bringing their respective nations together.

Special thanks to WillySmith1510, SirPerfluous, and Titanic X! :)

Take care, and God Bless!


End file.
